(SportsRadio 610) - Before rookie running back Dameon Pierce caught everyone’s attention this preseason, much of the talk around training camp was whether second-year Texans wideout Nico Collins could emerge as another weapon alongside Brandin Cooks.
With one week in the books and just two catches on three targets, it’s evident that Collins and quarterback Davis Mills have plenty of work to do.
Collins played in 47 of 70 offensive snaps in Sunday's 20-20 tie with the Colts. It wasn’t until 21 seconds left in the first half, Mills found Collins for the first time, down the sideline for an 18-yard completion.
"He has routes, he has individual routes on the back side as that X receiver, where if we see him matched up with somebody one on one, we trust that he’s gonna win," Mills said. "Then, there’s other stuff where he’s just gonna be built into a concept as really the first, one, two or three progressions, so there will be organic ways he’ll get the ball and make plays for us."
While the Texans have plenty of young players they hope develop as playmakers this season, Collins wasn’t too worried about his lack of targets in week one.
He acknowledged Wednesday it was just the first game and the season just started.
As many players and coaches who have been around the league for sometime will often tell you though, as long as the season is, it can get very old, very fast.
Yet, the season is just one-game old, and while there were many mistakes and miscommunications, Collins said he and his team's confidence isn’t shaken.
“It’s there, confidence is high, like I said we’re still building, still working on things from last week. The season just started," Collins said. "It’s only one weekend. We feel like there’s things we need to work on as an offensive unit and we’re working on that this week."
Mills targeted 11 different receivers against the Colts, completing passes to nine.
The Texans leading receiver last season and once again this past Sunday, Brandin Cooks, who finished with 82 yards on seven catches, said going forward they’ll begin to gel as an offense and get more players involved.
"We’ve got guys all over the board and the more guys that you get involved, the better for your offense, no question," Cooks said. "I look forward to that because we’ve got a lot of playmakers in our offense, so it’s not all about me. At the end of the day, I just want to win so however we do that, that’s what I want to do."
Shaun Bijani has spent the last 16 years covering the Houston sports scene for SportsRadio 610. Follow him on Twitter @ShaunBijani.
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